Estranged students in Further (FE) and Higher Education (HE) - experiences: literature review

3. Definitions of estrangement

Definitions of estrangement vary and are contested, both in the literature and in wider policy frameworks.

In Scotland, definitions of estrangement vary by funding provider. For the purposes of accessing further education (FE) funding, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) defines estranged students as 'someone who no longer has the support of their family due to a breakdown in their relationship which has led to ceased contact' (SFC, 2022a). For higher education (HE) students, the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) defines estranged students as those who are not in contact with their parents/legal guardian, and where there has been 'a permanent breakdown' in the relationship (2022a). For both SAAS and SFC, students who have experience of care within Scotland would not be considered estranged. However, those whose care experience occurred outside of Scotland, and who are estranged from their parents, carers/ legal guardians, could be classed as estranged.

In England, Student Finance England (SFE) are responsible for administering student funding. They refer to being 'irreconcilably estranged from your parents', that is, not having 'any written or verbal contact with either parent and this is unlikely to change' (Student Finance England, 2022a). They expect that this will have been for a period of 12 months. More broadly, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) define estrangement as not having 'support from your parents due to a breakdown in your relationship' (UCAS, 2022a).

While these definitions may fit the circumstances of some estranged students, Bland found that 42% of estranged students in the UK were unable to apply their circumstances into the Student Finance England application definition (2015). Research by Costa (2019) in Scotland similarly highlighted that some estranged students could not identify with the 'narrow, and, contested' estrangement definition. It is often assumed that estranged students are those aged under 25. Yet mixed methods research undertaken in England (Stevenson, et al., 2020) with estranged students and university staff found that entering HE as a mature student may be preferable but that the funding cut off related to being over 25 meant students may not be eligible for support. Similarly, Taylor and Costa, in their qualitative research with estranged students in Scotland (2019a), note that estrangement 'does not cease or become irrelevant when a student reaches the age of 25.'

The literature also highlights students' own perceptions of estrangement. Students interviewed as part of Spacey and Sanderson's research reported a lack of understanding about what family estrangement was (2021). In another small qualitative study, estranged students reported a general ignorance of what estrangement was and meant among the wider student population. It was often misinterpreted as being disowned by a parent, rather than recognising some estranged students make the decision to leave themselves (Spacey, 2019). Other mixed methods (Stevenson, et al., 2020) and quantitative (Bland, 2015) studies have shown that the limitations of estranged student eligibility criteria can lead students to fail to identify themselves as estranged, meaning that they had missed out on support that was available to them.

To address this, Costa (2019) suggested definitions of estrangement should encompass a more comprehensive view of family, age that estrangement occurred, and the length of time passed since relationships had broken down. As Spacey (2019) argued in relation to a small qualitative study of estranged students at a post-92 English university, there is 'not one pathway to or circumstance of estrangement' and so definitions should allow for greater flexibility to account for this.

Research has also shown the difficulty of evidencing estrangement. In Bland and Blake's (2020) survey of estranged students, most did not have access to professionals, such as doctors, lawyers etc who could provide evidence of their estrangement, and the majority reported high levels of stress and anxiety arising from having to find the correct documentation. This led to delays in funding for some, while others said they had to contact their parents to locate documentation, which could be upsetting and very difficult (Spacey and Sanderson, 2021).